Heralding in the New Year

Heralding the New Year

A week of good Festive racing was had over the Christmas period in both Britain and Ireland

AFTER THE PRE-CHRISTMAS interruptions to racing, the sub-zero temperatures cleared to give a trouble-free run over the Festive period, and race fans enjoyed plenty of action over the holidays.

Much of the sport was dominated by the results achieved by the Willie Mullins team and the County Carlow trainer bagged 19 winners from 90 runners through the Boxing Day to New Year’s Day stint, including his St Steven’s day six-timer at Leopardstown.

He also produced five Grade 1 winners over the week, four of whom carry the FR suffix.

Over that Christmas period the Irish and French-bred horses were matched in stakes race success on 12 apiece, leaving Britishbred horses trailing with the two winners achieved on Boxing Day.

They were, however, significant – Constitution Hill, the son of Blue Bresil bred by Sally Noott and now short-priced 1/5 favourite for the Champion, and the fan favourite Thyme Hill. The Kayf Tara gelding, a former Grade 1 hurdler, reversed his “iffy” chasing earlier in the season to win the Kauto Star Novices Chase (G1) and he is now an 8/1 chance for the 3m Brown Advisory Novices Chase at The Festival.

All who invested heavily in the foals by the Rathbarry and Glenview Stud-based Blue Bresil at last autumn’s Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale (Consitution Hill himself a graduate of the sale when bought by Warren Ewing and Barry Geraghty for just €16,500) and the Goffs December NH Sale, will be relieved that the Henderson’s charge is maintaining such individual talent.

Consitution Hill

The six-year-old gelding now goes straight to The Festival; his trainer is not tempted to travel him to the Dublin Festival, and does not have any suitable options in Britain.

At Kempton, Henderson bemoaned the removal of the Contenders’ Hurdle at Sandown, a race he particularly liked to use as a final prep run ahead of Cheltenham.

It seems that the BHA’s race planners have much work to do not only to ensure that the British NH fields are bigger and more competitive at all levels and over the course of a season, but that they also need to ensure there is a decent pathway to The Festival.

Grumpy Charley: was bought in 2018 by owner Geoff Thompson with Grand National aspirations – this Mandarin Chase win keeps that dream alive

Cheltenham is such a draw for owners, and instead of a shrugging of shoulders resigned to the fact that many horses won’t be seen that frequently on a racecourse through the season as the March meeting is so targeted, a sensible programme leading to the meeting could help generate appearances, especially for the novices and those going up through the ranks.

The Blue Bresil pinhookers will also have been delighted to have witnessed Blue Lord’s Grade 1 chase win at Leopardstown. It was his first success in open company at the top level, the eight-year-old proving that his sire is not a one-hit wonder and has produced another with the pace for 2m, his speed slightly surprising trainer Mullins.

The Simon Munir and Isaac Souedeowned gelding, bought at the Arqana Summer Sale in 2017 for just €35,000 by George Mullins, is now more likely to be targeted at the 2m Champion Chase rather than the Ryanair over 2m4f.

The victory has helped propel Shirocco, whose fee is now listed as private, to a best-ever current third placing on the season’s NH sires’ title

He is a second foal out of his Cachet Noir mare Lorette, who is out of a half-sister to the Grand National runner-up Mely Moss.

Rathbarry stallions past and present had a fine Christmas period – Shirocco had eight winners headed by his Mandarin Handicap Chase winner Grumpy Charley, who galloped through the mud at Newbury to give his third-season trainer Chris Honour, who has a string of just 10 horses in training, a decent Christmas present. The Dartmoor-based trainer’s owner Geoff Thompson bought the horse himself in 2018 at the Goffs UK Spring Store Sale for £52,000 from Distillery Stud with a Grand National dream in mind.

Out of the Old Vic mare Whisky Rose, last season the eight-year-old claimed a novice chase third behind the subsequent King George winner Bravemansgame, as well as a novice chase victory at Newbury when beating Fern Hill, who has gone on to win a handicap this season off 133 and is now rated 140.

“He was bought to run in the National and he’s not far away,” said Honour of Charley. “We need a bit of luck and, over that trip, I don’t think the ground would be that important. He needs to get into a rhythm so if you’ve four miles in front of you it’s no big deal if you sit and hold your ground. He’s a brilliant jumper, absolutely class.

He’s very good on his day and had his ears pricked on the run-in.

However, it was Rathbarry’s deceased former Champion NH sire Presenting who achieved the best result of all stallions over Christmas.

He is the sire of Boothill, winner of the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices Chase and bought in 2019 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale for £125,000 by Kevin Ross Bloodstock. The Harry Fry-trained eightyear-old had form in the book going to the Kempton race – he had finished second to Jonbon at Sandown in the Grade 1 Henry VII Chase, albeit 8l behind the Hendersontrained son of Walk In The Park, and had won his two chases outings in October and November. His chase mark of 148 is already 12 points ahead of his best over hurdles.

Presenting’s daughter Credrojava, also trained by Fry, won a Listed hurdle at Taunton at the end of 2022 and was also bought by Ross at Cheltenham (February 2022 for £80,000) as the winner of a pointto-point for Monbeg Stables. She is now a 20-1 chance for the mares’ novice hurdle at The Festival.

Paisley Park’s Christmas Hurdle win was a Kempton crowd pleaser, and, below, jockey Jack Kennedy celebrates with Conflated after their Savills Chase victory at Leopardstown

Conflated

Presenting, so well regarded as a broodmare sire, did that reputation no harm at all this Christmas, his daughters producing a hat-trick of Grade 1 winners – Paisley Park, by Oscar and out of Presenting Shares, won the re-scheduled Long Walk Hurdle, while Conflated (Yeats), out of Saucy Present, took the Savills Chase and put himself on target for the Gold Cup.

The hat-trick was brought up by Home By The Lee. Bred and retained by Sean O’Driscoll, by Fame And Glory and out of the mare Going For Home, the Joseph O’Brientrained gelding took Leopardstown’s 3m Christmas Hurdle and is now favourite for the Stayers’ Hurdle.

The gelding’s year-older full-sister Beautiful Citi did achieve a Listed hurdle third-place behind non-other than Honeysuckle, and the pair boast the only black-type form in the family. The mare has not had the best of luck as a producer – from 11 pregnancies she has had seven live foals, and just the two winners by the late Fame And Glory.

She is due to Success Days in the spring and had a colt by Kamsin last year – he was sold at Fairyhouse bought by Stone Farm for €22,000.

Jimmy Wenman (left) and Nigel TwistonDavies at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale after purchasing Weveallbeencaught for a sale-topping £210,000

Getaway, whose gilt has not been shining recently quite as bright as his stud companion Walk In The Park, has a smart sort in Weveallbeencaught.

He was a £210,000 top lot at last February’s Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale when bought by trainer Nigel TwistonDavies and owner Jimmy Wenman, a rare big-priced purchase for the trainer.

The six-year-old won the Ballymore Maiden Hurdle at the Cheltenham New Year’s meeting, the victory realising Wenman’s dream of seeing a horse owned by him gallop up the Prestbury Park racecourse hill in front of his field. He is hoping the feat can be repeated in March.

He’s one of the priciest horses we’ve bought but he’s worth way more than they paid for him

Before purchase the gelding had won a Dromahane point-to-point for breeder Conor Murphy and trainer Michael Kennedy in December 2021, and after joining his new connections went on to win a March NH Flat race at Newbury. He was pitched in at the deep end on his first start over hurdles in November, but acquitted himself well with a third behind Hermes Allen in the Grade 2 Ballymore Novices Hurdle, a race that was also run at Cheltenham.

Fiercely Proud: converted a sale purchase to Cheltenham winner in a month

After his New Year success, the excited trainer said: “He’s a big, powerful animal and surely hurdles aren’t what he’s made for. He’s very exciting. He’ll be better over 3m and he’ll come back for the Ballymore or Albert Bartlett in March, most likely the Albert Bartlett as we don’t want to take on Hermes Allen – we’re not stupid! He’s one of the priciest horses we’ve bought but he’s worth way more than they paid for him.”

The most rapid conversion over the Christmas fortnight from sale horse to winner was achieved by Fiercely Proud. He is by Iffraaj, an unlikely getter of NH horses, but bought at the 2022 November Cheltenham Sale by Kilbride Equine for Ben Pauling and owner Tim Radford for £125,000 from trainer-trader Don Cantillon.

The four-year-old enjoyed a New Year’s Day birthday win in the concluding Listed EBF Junior bumper on the Cheltenham card.

He had originally been purchased by Cantillon as an unraced prospect with Highflyer Bloodstock at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Salein 2021 from the Shadwell draft for 21,000gns.

He is out of the Nayef mare Estiqaama who, in 2021, had bred a NH Flat race winner by Shamardal.

She is out of the Boadicea Stakes (L) winner Ethaara (Green Desert) and traces to the Shadwell foundation family of Bahhare and Bahri.